Size, ferocity of ‘fire tornado’ stuns experts in California Dramatic new video shows the moment a massive California “fire tornado” with a base the size of three football fields whirled through the sky — claiming the lives of a fire inspector and five other victims, according to a new report. The clip, obtained by CBS San Francisco, captures the tornado exploding in the middle of the enormous July 26 wildfire, known as the “Carr Fire,” in Redding. Cal Fire investigators are still struggling to understand the unusual vortex of the blaze — visible in the video and formed by winds and flames moving in opposite directions. Craig Clements, director at the SJSU Fire Weather Research Lab, had seen fire whirls before, but was stunned by this one in particular, he told the station. “You can clearly see the winds going like this and the circulations right here,” Clements said. “It’s an incredible sight.” Peak temperatures inside the vortex rocketed to a scorching 2,700 degrees, according to the report. The base of the fire tornado was 1,000 feet, and winds ranged from 136 to 165 mph — among the worst in California history. Clements told the outlet that climate change does not cause the tornadoes themselves — though it might be contributing to drier brush and fire fuel, causing more extreme fire conditions. Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman called the conditions of the Carr Fire partially man-made. “There are things we can do. We can go in and mitigate the problem,” Schapelhouman told the station, citing more offseason controlled burns and vegetation management. “The predictability of what we could say was the norm before is completely out the window.” He also suggested monitoring fires with “remote sensing technology.” Jeremy Stoke, a fire inspector with the Redding Fire Department, as well as Don Ray Smith, an 81-year-old bulldozer operator, were killed in the Carr Fire. An elderly woman and her two great-grandchildren, as well as an additional person, also perished in the devastating blaze. Obligatory: Spoiler
